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Press release
Paris, 19 February 2015
French Cooperation supports sustainable financing of Rwenzori
Mountains National Park in Uganda/Ouganda
through a grant from French Facility for Global Environment of
700.000 euros.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (MAEDI), the French Facility
for Global Environment (FFEM) and WWF join their efforts to support the sustainable financing of
the Rwenzori Mountains National Park (RMNP) in Uganda/Ouganda.
Rwenzori Mountains National Park, the legendary Mountains of the Moon located on the
Ugandan side of the Virunga landscape and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since
1994 is home to a unique biodiversity and provides vital ecosystems services to almost a million
people in the region.
An innovative project, reconciling conservation and development
This project, supported by FFEM for 700 000 euros, and co-financed by the European Union for
1,3 M euros, will be implemented by WWF (WWF-France, jointly with WWF Uganda Country
Office).
Under the chairmanship of Mr Xavier Sticker, Ambassador for the Environment, the signing
ceremony between the FFEM, represented by Mr François-Xavier Duporge, and WWF,
represented by Mr Philippe Germa, was witnessed by Ms Maria Mutagamba, Honourable
Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities of Uganda / Ouganda, Ms Nimisha Madhvani,
Uganda’s Ambassador to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO and Mr Aggrey
Rwetsiba, Uganda Wildlife Authority.
French Ambassador for the Environment, Mr Xavier Sticker, underlined the innovative approach
of this new project, involving the private sector, promoting sustainable funding instruments
(ecotourism and payment for ecosystem services) for biodiversity conservation, and generating
additional income for both the RMNP and the local communities, while reducing pressure on
natural resources. This initiative, he said, is perfectly in line with France’s international
commitments, in particular those taken within the Convention on biological diversity (CBD) and
its internationally agreed Aichi Targets.
Ms Maria Mutagamba, Honourable Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities of
Uganda/Ouganda, welcomes the support provided by the French government and from WWF:
“We all share the same goals: conservation of an outstanding region, sustainable use of its
natural resources and, reconciling conservation and development”, she said. Local communities
have to be helped to avoid encroachments in the mountains and in the Parks, driven by survival
strategies, through changing their agricultural practices and increasing their income”, she
added. As a World Heritage Site, this UNESCO highlight makes this pilot project even more
relevant to Uganda, in terms of future lessons learned and dissemination of good practices as
regards biodiversity sustainable financing.
Linking private companies and farmers to protect Rwenzori ecosystems
The private sector which depends on the Rwenzori water tower has a key role to play to
conserve this unique ecosystem. WWF France CEO, Philippe Germa, said that “WWF with its
partners will engage private companies, in particular those affected, to support the pilot
Payment for Environmental Service (PES) scheme and the Rwenzori Mountains National Park”.
Private companies will fund the PES scheme and farmers will be rewarded in the upper
catchment area for improving their land management practices.
Notes to the Editors
About MAEDI: Within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, the
Directorate-General of Global Affairs, Development and Partnerships (DGM) develops and
follows the French strategies for international cooperation in health, food security, human
development, environment and climate. Through its diplomatic network, its operators and
partners, it promotes actions in the field of the environment and climate change and
participates, in conjunction with the relevant authorities, in international negotiations and
processes related to environmental issues. The MAEDI is a member of the FFEM Steering
Committee.
About FFEM: The French Facility for Global Environment / Fonds Français pour l’Environnement
Mondial (FFEM) is a bilateral public fund initiated by the French Government in 1994. The FFEM
co-finances projects that encourage the protection of the global environment in developing
countries. Its co-financing is used for the implementation of pilot projects that combine
environmental protection and economic development in the recipient countries. The FFEM is an
influential strategic instrument for the French policy on Official Development Assistance
regarding global environmental protection. Its activities focus on the topics of biodiversity,
international waters, the climate change, land degradation and desertification, persistent
organic pollutants and the stratospheric ozone layer. By the end of 2014, the FFEM has cofinanced 275 projects with €317m. Two thirds were spent on sub-Saharan Africa and the
Mediterranean. www.ffem.fr
About WWF
WWF is the world’s largest conservation organization with over 5 million supporters worldwide
and working in more than 100 countries. WWF works to stop the degradation of the planet's
natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature by
protecting global biological diversity, ensuring that the use of natural resources is sustainable
and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. www.wwf.fr
About the Rwenzori Mountains National Park
Home of variety of landscapes and many species including chimpanzees, the Rwenzori massif
provides essential ecosystem services, including water for two million people and for many
businesses. The Rwenzori Mountains National Park, with its varied landscape, is a unique, albeit
relatively unknown, tourist destination and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Despite this
uniqueness, its ecosystem services are threatened by demographic pressure and erosion
generating watershed degradation and sedimentation of the rivers. The project aims at
generating long-term sources of funding for the RMNP and local communities by increasing
income from tourism and encouraging private sector participation through a pilot scheme of
Payment for Environmental Services (PES). The PES objective is to improve the quality of two rivers
(Mubuku and Nyamwamba) which face sedimentation issues.
More information on the project in French:
http://www.ffem.fr/accueil-FFEM/projets/projets_ffem-par-secteur/Projetsbiodiversite/2014CUG1053-Ouganda-Financement-Parc-national-montagnes_Ruwenzori
Contacts presse :
MAEDI : Emmanuelle SWYNGHEDAUW [email protected] / 01 43 17 66 93
FFEM : Valérie FAKIR / [email protected] / 01 53 44 39 41
WWF France : Marielle Chaumien - (+33) 1 5525 8461 - (+33) 6 1539 2495 - [email protected]